Retreat
by Judge-Douglas-Mason
Summary: Group effort. The team goes on a retreat to strengthen their bond
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own them. Wish I did, but I don't. Que Sera Sera.  
------------------------------ 

The sun was low on the horizon as everyone reached their rented cabin. It was truly a sight to behold. A two story wooden log construction. Screened in front porch with two picnic tables. Nick flung the front door open and they all stepped inside. Bags were dropped by the door as each person gazed around. Standing in the doorway and looking to the right one could see the kitchen, dated fridge and open shelving units. Looking to the left, one could see the living area, large couch two love seats, hand crafted rocking chair and a nice sized television. Along the wall, there were bookshelves filled with books of all sorts as well as board games and cards with poker chips. Directly in front of the front door stood a staircase that led to the rooms upstairs.

Sara and Catherine took their bags and climbed the stairs, entering the first room on their left. It was a nice sized room with two twin sized beds and a phone. The large single pane window looked out over the lake and really showed the beautiful skyline. Nick and Warrick followed Catherine and Sara, taking the first room on the right. Similar to the girl's room, Nick and Warrick's room had two twin sized beds as well as a desk and bookshelf with books. Gil and Greg were the last to take their room as they walked down the hall and entered the open door at the end of the hall. Their room was slightly larger and instead of individual twin beds, there was a bunk bed along the outside wall. Dropping his bag at the foot of the bed, Greg climbed the top bunk and stretched out. He heard a thump on the floor and turned his head to face the door. Gil stood in the doorway, hands on his hips, his foot tapping on the floor.

"Uh, Greg. You're in my bunk." he stated

"No way, man. I was here first. First come, first serve." he replied, making an attempt at assertiveness

"I'm the boss, and the one with seniority gets first choice." Gil answered, tension evident in his voice

Greg mumbled as he climbed down and flopped down on the bottom bunk. Gil could tell that Greg was less than pleased by his usurping of the top bunk, but really didn't care.

"I'll give you seniority, you senior citizen." Greg mumbled under his breath

"I heard that." Gil grumbled, his head hovering above his open frame pack

Everyone having settled themselves and having been acquainted with their surroundings, they went downstairs and got comfy. Sara looked around the cabin and sighed.

"Where's Jim?" she asked

"He's outside pitching his tent." came the reply from Nick

Sara walked outside and found Jim tossing his bag into the tent. Sara chuckled and Jim turned to face her.

"What?" he asked

"Nothing, its just that you pitch a tent faster than anyone I know." she replied

"Well, I have a lot of experience." he said, grinning "You remember our camping trip?"

Sara blushed and cleared her throat. She looked around, making sure the coast was clear, then walked up to Jim, pinching his love handles. Jim jumped up and scowled at her.

"I remember that trip. I remember that you were a perfect gentleman." she whispered in his ear

"I remember you tried to seduce me that first night." Jim said, grinning widely

"Well, you can't fault a woman for coming on to a catch like you." she asserted

"Yeah, well, I guess not. After all, you caught me, didn't you?" Jim replied, pinching her cheek

Sara chuckled softly and walked down to the lake, sashaying her rump as Jim watched, mouth hanging open slightly. As she approached the water, she whistled loudly and whipped around when she heard a commotion along the tree line. Squatting down and stretching her arms out, she clapped her hands together. Edgard, the dog, came crashing out of the woods, soaking wet; it was obvious he had already been in the lake. Sara picked up a stick from the shoreline and tossed it in the water. Edgard bounded into the water and returned moments later, stick in his mouth.

Jim looked around, surveying the grounds for firewood, and seeing none, he entered the cabin and found Greg, sitting in the rocking chair. His eyes were closed and he was humming to himself. Jim began to speak, then, noticing that Greg was oblivious to his presence, he slapped him on the leg, causing him to jump up.

"Sara, the dog and I are going for firewood." Jim stated

"Ok, I'll let the crew know." Greg said, standing up

Jim exited the cabin and walked down to the water. He found Sara playing with Edgard and placed a hand on her elbow. Sara whipped around and glared at Jim. Edgard jumped up on Jim, covering him in muddy paw prints. Jim stepped back, growling and looked down at his muddy clothes. He glared down at Edgard and shook his finger as he admonished him.

"How many times have I told you, NO JUMPING." he growled

"He's a dog, that's what they do. You should know that by now." Sara stated, trying not to laugh

"Let's go for wood." Jim suggested

The three of them tromped into the woods, heading away from the cabin. While they were away Grissom and Nick came into the kitchen, looking around. Nick checked the fridge while Gil looked at the shelves. Finding the supplies stocked, as requested, Gil walked outside and gazed around, taking in mother nature's splendor. Hands on his hips,  
he shouted in for Greg and waited for him to come outside.

"Where are Jim and Sara?" Gil asked

"They're out for wood." he replied

"I'll bet they are." Catherine chuckled as she stepped out onto the screened in porch.  
"They are so obvious." Warrick commented as he stood behind Catherine, arms wrapped around her waist

"But not like you two?" Nick stated, grinning at Warrick and Catherine

"Well, at least they're discreet." Gil replied

They all walked down to the water and looked around. The water surface was calm and the birds were chirping. Catherine looked up to the sky and sighed.

"Look at all the stars. Its like someone poked holes in the night sky." she commented

"Nice simile." Gil replied

They stood by the lake for a short while before returning to the cabin. Catherine walked into the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge, looking for the contents of their meal. She pulled out a flat of steaks as well as some potatoes, garlic, onion, and fresh green beans. Wandering in circles, looking for knives and bowels, Catherine called out to the living room.

"Hey, Warrick. Get your ass in here and help out." she shouted

Warrick stood from his seat and headed towards the kitchen. Just as he passed Gil and Greg, Greg whispered to Gil.

"Well, I can see who wears the man-sack in their relationship."

Gil chuckled and Warrick whipped around. Glaring at Greg, he growled.  
"I heard that"

Jim and Sara had some difficulty in finding their way back to the cabin, but the moon was quite helpful, casting its light down on them. Finally, around 22:00hrs, they arrived back at the cabin, with no wood. The others, seated on the front porch saw the two approaching the cabin empty handed and clothes a mess. Glaring at them, Grissom rose and spoke.

"What, no wood"  
"Couldn't find any." Jim replied "In a forest...trees everywhere. You found no wood?" he grilled Jim and Sara

"Not a stitch." she said, straightening her shirt and shorts

"Huh." was Greg's simple response.  
"Smells great." she said, startling Greg

"Dinner is served." Catherine called out

Heads whipped around to see her standing in the living room, a smile on her face. Greg sat up in his seat and winked at Nick and Warrick.

"So, you two didn't have any luck with the wood, huh? You've been gone quite some time." he commented

"Yes, Greg, we found no wood. Maybe you should take the dog and look for yourself." she explained

"Well, dinner is served." came Catherine's voice from the kitchen, again

"Good, I'll let Jim know." Sara stated as she turned and walked back outside

Nick, Greg and Gil watched as Sara exited the cabin and went to Jim's side. Greg smiled wide as he turned to Gil and Nick. Holding out his hand out and rubbing his thumb and index fingers together, he cleared his throat.

"I believe you two owe me $20.00 a piece." he stated, grinning heavily

Reluctantly, they each dug into their pockets and pulled out Greg's winnings. As they coughed up, Nick glared at Greg.

"That's it. I'm never betting you again"  
"And it would appear as though you've learned your lessons." Greg commented, pocketing his money

They all sat on the front porch for dinner. The steaks had been grilled and the potatoes chopped and fried. After supper was finished, Gil, Jim and Nick cleaned the dishes, while everyone else was outside around the fire that Greg had made. When the dishes had been finished, Gil, Jim and Nick walked outside and joined their colleagues around the fire. Gil reached into his pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper. He cleared his throat and began to read.

"Ok, we all know why we're here. HR believes that it would be beneficial for us to have a bonding session, so, I figured it would be best achieved by having a weekend away. After all, this is a three day weekend."

Faces turned to look at Gil as he skimmed the paper in his hand and read off the list of trust building activities. There were a series of laughs and chuckles as he ran through the list.

"Let's see, we have the trust circle, the confidence course, a three legged race and blind man's bluff."

"Well, I guess we should all turn in if we want to be up at a reasonable hour tomorrow." Catherine suggested

Everyone nodded and stood up, heading inside. As Jim and Sara sat outside on a log, they watched their colleagues walk back inside. She turned to Jim and kissed him on the cheek. As she stood up, Jim slapped her behind and wished her a good night. He watched as she walked inside and closed the door behind her.

An hour later and Jim was still awake and sitting in front of the fire. He stood up and reached for the snuffer bucket, dumped the dirt on the flames and crawled into his tent. He had just slipped out of his clothes and into his bag when he heard the front door open and close. He grinned to himself as he listened to the footsteps approaching his tent. A few seconds later, the zipper on the mosquito net was un zipped and Sara poked her head in.

"Is there room for two?" she asked, crawling in

"There's always room for you, my sweet." he replied

Jim unzipped his bag and laid it out flat, making a nice sized blanket. Sara cuddled up to Jim's side and rested her head on his shoulder and her left hand across his abdomen. Jim wrapped his left arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head.

"Good night, honey." Sara said, stifling a yawn

"Um Hmm." came Jim's reply

TBC?--


	2. Chapter 2

Everyone slept rather well and when it was time to get up, Nick was the first one awake. He shuffled his way downstairs and put on a fresh pot of coffee. As the coffee perked, he went outside to look around. He stepped off the porch and headed to the lake. The sun was already high in the sky as he looked down at his watch; 09:00hrs. Nick took one last look at the lake and headed back to the cabin. As he passed, he looked over at Jim's tent and noticed a distinctly feminine groan. He stopped and took a better look. Seeing Sara, arm draped over Jim's abdomen. A smile broke out across Nick's face as he continued on his way back inside. 

Having poured himself a cup of coffee and making himself comfortable on the front porch, Nick was startled by the sudden sounds coming from within the cabin. He turned his head to see who was up and grinned as he watched Gil, Catherine, Warrick and Greg, all file downstairs and to the coffee pot. Within minutes they were all sitting on the front porch drinking their coffee. Catherine craned her head around and scratched her chin.

"So, where is Sara?" she asked

"As if you really have to ask." replied Nick, motioning to the tent

They all chuckled as they sipped their coffee. Within the hour, Jim emerged from his tent. He poked his head out of the tent and looked around. Seeing the team assembled on the front porch, he groaned and ducked his head back inside. Slowly and gently, he straddled Sara and stroked her cheek until she woke. Her eyes fluttered open and she gazed up at Jim, smiling.

"Honey, time to get up. Oh, by the way, we've been found out." Jim said, motioning to the front porch

"Well, shit." she replied, simply

"Well, think of it this way. At least we don't have to sneak around anymore." Jim commented

Jim crawled out of the tent and zipped the net closed behind him. Clad in boxers and a threadbare NHL t-shirt, he schlepped his bare feet inside and requisitioned two mugs of coffee. Exiting the cabin, Jim was met with giggles and smirks. He glared at everyone as he set the mugs on the ground and unzipped the flap on his tent. Continuing to glare at everyone, Jim zipped the flap up and gently rubbed Sara's cheek.

"Come on. Let's face the muzac." he said in sweet tones

"I don't wanna." came Sara's response

Glancing over at Nick and smiling, Greg cleared his throat and began to sing.

"Brass and Sara, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Brass with the baby carriage."

Sara shot up and scampered for the flap. Flinging the zipper back, she flew out of the tent and stomped up the stairs. Everyone watched as Sara, clad in a pair of Jim's boxers and t-shirt calmly walked over to Greg and looked down at him. Motioning for his coffee mug, she wiggled her fingers. Greg handed her his mug and watched as she sipped from it.

"Mmmm. This coffee is great. You want some?" she asked, looking down at Greg

"Um. Is this a trick question?" he asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat

Sara shook her head, signifying that it was not a trick question and Greg responded by nodding his head, "yes. Sara made like she was going to hand Greg his mug back, but just as he reached his hand out, the mug hovered over his head and the contents were emptied. He jumped up and shook the warm liquid from his "Rollins Band" t-shirt.  
Sara grinned and turned, walking back to the tent. Mouths hung open as Jim emerged from the tent, fully dressed, save for his bare feet. Sara crawled back in and grabbed her shoes.

An hour later and everyone had been assembled around the picnic tables. Gil pulled out the itinerary and scratched his cheek. Handing it to Jim, Gil spoke up.

"Ok, since its going to rain tomorrow, we'll do the confidence course today. Nick, Greg, would you go inside and pull the harnesses, ropes and helmets from the closet?" Gil asked

Greg and Nick stood up and went inside, coming out minutes later, arms full of climbing equipment. Everyone picked up a harness and Jim grabbed the rope, biners and helmets. They walked away from the cabin, towards the lake. They followed the shoreline for about 200 yards and stopped. Jim looked up to the tree tops and sighed.

"Well, I'm glad I'm supervising this trip. I hate heights." he commented

Everyone looked around and Jim's comment became more significant. The tree tops were laden with tram lines, wooden ladders, tight ropes, military style cargo netting and a net slide. Catherine shuddered as her heart came to rest in her throat.

"Do we really have to do this?" she asked, scratching her head

"Yes. Everyone but Jim." Gil replied

Jim took off his baseball cap and scribbled on a sheet of paper. He tore the paper into six pieces and dropped them into the scull cap of his hat. Grinning, he motioned towards the hat.

"Ok, let's do this fair. I'm thinking of a number between 1-10. Whoever gets it, gets first pick."

Sara grinned at Jim, knowing that he always chose the same number.

"Four." she shouted

"Correct. Now come here and..." Jim's words hung in the air for a moment as everyone grinned

Sara stepped forward and stood by Jim's side. She turned to face him and raised an eyebrow, pursing her lips. Jim blushed slightly and finished his sentence.

"choose your piece."

Jim could tell by the look on her face, that Sara was thinking of a witty retort. Her eyes widened as she took a deep breath.

"I'll give you a piece." came her reply as she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek

Sara reached into the hat and pulled out a piece of paper. Growling, she went to put it back in the hat. Jim stopped her and grinned.

"Nope, you gotta keep it. Who did you get?" he asked, half knowing

"Nick" she replied

Nick slouched and reluctantly stepped forward. While Nick and Sara climbed into their harnesses, Jim continued to divvy up the slips. Warrick was paired with Catherine, leaving Greg and Gil. Gil was having trouble figuring out his harness so Greg helped him.

"You slip it on like a thong. Make sure the leg holes are comfy and they don't chafe." he explained, watching Gil slip into the harness.

"You might want to consider Manny, Moe and Jack."

"Who?" Gil asked, confused

"Your Pep-Boys. Make sure they don't get pinched." Greg replied, stifling a laugh

Finally, Gil donned his harness properly and plopped his helmet on. Warrick took one end of the rope and climbed the first ladder. He stopped on a platform about forty feet up, and slipping the end of the rope through the pulley on the master line and let the slack hit the ground. He climbed back down and picked up the end of the rope.

"Ok, who wants to go first?" Jim asked

No one answered; they just stared up at the trees. After a moment, Jim cleared his throat.

"Don't make me guess another number." Jim warned

Greg stepped forward and tied a figure-eight knot around his biner. Making sure it was taught, he yanked it a few times and glared over at Gil. Fear in his eyes, he cleared his throat.

"So, you do remember how to stop me falling, right?" he asked, beginning to sweat

"Yeah, I think so. I just pull the end of the rope around my back and hold it down." Gil replied

Saying a quick prayer and crossing his chest, Greg climbed the ladder and stopped on the platform. Everyone stepped back as Greg began the course. He reached up and grabbed hold of the master line, inching his way along the tight rope. After twenty feet, there was another platform. Gil followed underneath as Greg moved along. The tram line was next, followed by another ladder, the cargo net and finally, the net slide. Greg unclipped and jumped down the netting of the net slide. He emerged at the bottom and jumped up, shouting.

"I say, GD damn, what a rush."

He walked over to Gil and handed him the end of the rope. Gil fastened it to his harness and climbed the ladder. It wasn't until he reached platform, that he noticed the look on Greg's face. Shaking a finger in admonition, he shouted down at Greg.

"I swear, if you drop me, you're a dead man, Gregory."

Greg just grinned and laughed.

"Don't worry, man. I got you." came his reply

Gil made his way along with little trouble, that is until he got to the cargo net. Gil's foot became entangled and he lost his grip. He plummeted towards the ground, shrieking like a little girl. Suddenly, he stopped. Gil opened his eyes and looked down at the ground. Greg had him hovering about fifteen feet off the ground. Growling, Gil whipped his head around and glared at Greg.

"That's for smacking me in the face last night." Greg said, laughing

"You little fu&er. I'm gonna kill you." Gil shouted

"Well, it would seem as though I have you in a bit of a vise, don't I"

Everyone had completed the course and were now back at the cabin. Sara and Jim rifled through the fridge, looking for lunch. As they threw some sandwiches together and pulled some bags of chips and pretzels from the cabinet, everyone else was on the front porch. Jim brought out three plates, one heaping with peanut bitter and jelly sandwiches, another with turkey and another with corned beef on rye. Setting them on the table he walked back inside and brought out a bucket filled with ice and various sodas.

After their late lunch, they decided to do the three legged race. Everyone kept their partners from before and stood still as Jim tied them together at the knees and ankles. Stopwatch in hand, he shouted for them to start running. Jim laughed as Catherine/Warrick, Nick/Sara and Greg/Gil hobbled towards the halfway point, then turned around, heading back to the start line. Early in the race, Catherine had grabbed hold of Warrick's chest and let her legs dangle as he ran. Needless to say, they won. Gil and Greg hadn't even made it twenty feet, when they fell to the ground, Gil straddling Greg, covering him with charley horses and two purple nurples.

The sun was low on the horizon when Jim and Sara left for wood. Comments were tossed back and forth as well as laughs. Gil, having expended quite a bit of energy earlier in his pounding of Greg, retired to the upstairs for a nap. When he was out of sight, Greg turned to Nick and sighed.

"Hey, man. Can I bunk with you tonight"  
"Whatever for?" Nick asked, chuckling

"You know very well." Greg griped

"Well, I could care less, but you really have to ask Warrick." Nick pointed out

Greg jumped up and ran outside to Warrick and Catherine. He found the two of them by the lakeside, sitting on a log. As he approached from behind, he called out to them. Warrick whipped his head around and grinned.

"Should we tell him?" he asked Catherine

"Nah, let's let him sweat for a while." she replied

Greg plopped down next to Warrick and rested his head in his hands. Finally, he spoke up.

"Let's not beat around the bush, ok?" he started

"What, Greg?" Warrick replied

"We all know that you two are an item. So, how bout you two share a room tonight, so I can bunk with Nick, and avoid most certain death at the hands of Grissom." Greg explained

Stunned by his brazen observation and request, Warrick and Catherine turned to each other and grinned. Looking back at Greg, Warrick cleared his throat.

"I don't know, man"  
"I'll pay you." Greg pleaded

Warrick and Catherine scratched their heads.

"$100.00." Warrick replied

"Done." Greg shouted as he jumped up and fished his wallet out of his pocket. "Fifty now, and fifty later"  
"Fine." Warrick conceded

The night sky was filled with stars and much to the joy and surprise of Gil, a meteor shower. He lay on his back, by the lake and gazed up at the heavens. Edgard lay at his side, muzzle propped up on his thigh. Gil scratched the dog behind his ears and sighed.

Inside, Greg wasted no time after Gil's nap, switching his belongings from Gil's room to Nick's room. Finally, having completed his move, he came back downstairs to join everyone, save for Gil. Looking up at the shelf full of games and jumped up.

"Who's up for a game of twenty-one?" he asked, grabbing the cards and chips

"I'll take some of that." Warrick replied

Nick, Warrick and Greg moved to the coffee table in the living room and settled in. Noticing that Jim and Sara were leaving, Nick turned around and asked after them.

"Hey, where are you two off to"  
"We have other plans this evening." Jim replied as he took Sara's hand and led her outside

Unzipping the mosquito flap, they crawled in and Jim opened his pack. Grinning widely, he turned to Sara and presented a small SONY Watchman. Sara chuckled as she took it and switched it on. Reaching back into his pack, Jim pulled out a bottle of wine. Sara grinned as she looked at the label on the bottle.

"Jacob's Creek. Southeastern Australia. Cabernet Sauvignon"  
"I would hate to break from routine." Jim stated

"Aah, our Saturday night Stargate session?" Sara replied

Jim searched his pack and after a moment, popped his head up.

"Shit. No corkscrew"  
"I'll get it." Sara said as she crawled out of the tent

Walking inside, she drew the attention of Greg. Nick turned to see her and smiled.

"You have second thoughts?" Greg asked

"Nope. Just looking for...this." she said, fishing the corkscrew from the utility drawer

She hot footed it back outside and tossed the corkscrew inside. It must have hit Jim in the eye, as he yelped.

"Hey, you trying to put my eye out"  
"Sorry, hon." she replied

Jim zipped the flap back up and settled down, Sara's head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and hugged her tight. The sounds of staff weapons and zats could be heard all the way down by the lake. It was a particularly good episode in which Carter and O'Neill were trapped off-world and had no way home. The DHD had exploded and all the two officers could do, was hope the T'okra would come to rescue them.

As the show ended, Jim corked the bottle and set it outside the tent. When he crawled back in the tent, he was immediately jumped by Sara. She pushed him on his back and straddled him. Stripping her shirt off, and binding Jim's wrists with it, she leaned forward and placed a rather passionate kiss on his lips. He made no attempt to free himself as Sara began to strip him of his clothing.

The unmistakable sounds of carnal pleasure echoed through the woods that night. Against the backdrop of the meteor shower, everything seemed, somehow, smaller. It was this night that the heavens opened up and offered a glimpse into the greater meaning of life and purpose. The meteor fragments dashed across the sky as lovers, colleagues and friends came into a better and fuller understanding of why they were on Earth.

By the lakeside, Gil slept in his stretched out position, kept company by man's best friend. Inside, Warrick and Catherine slept, spooning on the beds that had been pushed together. Nick was sound asleep on the couch downstairs, Aggies game on the television. Greg, curled in a ball, sucking his thumb, was in the throes of a regressive dream and Jim and Sara...

Well, Jim and Sara snuggled like two lovers that had finally come home to each other after a long time apart. His hand draped across Sara's abdomen, Jim had no idea of the changes that her body was going through. All he knew was that he had finally found his soulmate; the woman that would give him life, love and possibly the single greatest gift one person could give another.

TBC?--


End file.
